Get more from VSTs in Reason

Hell has frozen over, Donald Trump is the president of the USA, and Reason has added VST plugin support. Now that the dust has settled on 2017, it’s easy to forget how unlikely some things once seemed – we never thought Propellerhead would open up their DAW to the ubiquitous thirdparty standard, but open it they have, and the results are spectacular.

So how does VST implementation work in Reason? For starters, there’s no Audio Units or VST 3 support – only the ‘standard’ VST 2.4 protocol is supported so far. This won’t make much practical difference for the majority of users, who might well find nothing missing compared to the third-party plugin selection they get in their other DAWs.

There’s an optional window called Manage Plugins, where you can check the status of your installed instruments and effects, and remove them from the list should you feel the need. You won’t need to spend much time – if any – in this window.

Your installed VSTs are loaded via Reason’s Browser, and you’ll find them neatly categorised into Effects and Instruments below the existing Propellerhead devices. Plugins are hosted in their own windows rather than merging into the rack with other Reason devices. The rack unit itself appears as a blank ‘VST’ device – just click Open to access the interface.

Reason is legendary for its stability, and this was one excuse given for the lack of plugin support in previous versions. Whether that’s true or not, we’ve experienced very few problems with today’s modern VSTs running in Propellerhead’s DAW. Compatibility hasn’t been a problem.

Going further

We’d have forgiven the Swedish software developers for simply stopping there and dropping the mic, but Propellerhead have gone much further with their implementation. Each VST device has a virtual CV Programmer dropdown with eight control slots, and eight corresponding CV inputs at the back of the rack. With a CV signal from anywhere in Reason hooked up, it can be routed to any parameter in the plugin that can accept automation data.

The result is the ability to modulate and control plugin parameters using CV signals in Reason, and this even includes parameters that you weren’t able to modulate from the plugin interface itself. As long as the control can accept automation from the DAW, it can accept modulation from the rack.

As a DAW, Reason has always touted its ability to route any signal to anywhere, and now third-party plugins are part of that deal. You can create LFOs, envelopes and sequencers where you didn’t have them before, opening up your existing plugins to a huge amount of creative application, and giving you a real bonus for selecting Reason as your DAW of choice.

With the newfound ability to harness VSTs in the rack, it could be high time to resurrect a few of your old Reason projects.